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Credit: Site Editor
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Tuesday, 24 March 2009 |
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 [Submissions on this issue can be made by going to the council's web page and by then clicking on the "Have your say" button near the top of the article. The closing date is 5.00 pm, 16 April 2009.]
A decent aquatic facility is conspicuously absent in the eastern parts of the city. A drive to the Pioneer facility beyond Beckenham is about the best option for Heathcote swimmers.
It's really quite surprising really. What with canoeing on the Heathcote River, windsurfing at Ferrymead, swimming at New Brighton and Sumner and boating over at Lyttelton, there's water everywhere.
Bob Todd, Chairperson of our local Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board recognises what this can mean, "The number of drownings is increasing year on year, and there is a strong need for a facility in the east that can provide opportunities for young people to learn to swim and recreate."
Our luck seemed to be changing in 2006, with a reference to a new pool
on our side of town in the Christchurch City Council's Aquatic
Facilities Plan. That was back then. Now, the money to pay for our pool
has been left out of the current draft of the Long Term Council
Community Plan.
As anybody knows, it's no good making plans and then not having the
money to pay for them. In recognition of this, Yani Johanson,
councillor for our local Hagley/Ferrymead Ward, moved at the council's
February 2009 meeting that funding of $15 million over three years from
2017 be provided for an eastern aquatic facility.
The motion got no further however, with all but Chrissie Williams
voting against. Given the ten year time scale under consideration, the
no from these councillors in effect rules out a swimming pool on our
side of the city for the foreseeable future.
Yani notes that, "The eastern suburbs have longer distances to travel
and more difficult bus access to existing aquatic facilities than just
about every other area of Christchurch."
The Long Term Council Community Plan is still only at draft stage,
which means that there is still some opportunity to change it. Maybe if
enough people let the council know what we think on this issue, we
might be enjoying a new aquatic facility, possibly just down the road
at Ferrymead?
[Electronic submissions can be made by going to the Draft Long Term Council Community Plan 2009-19 page on the council's web site and by then clicking on the "Have your say" button near the top of the article. The closing date is 5.00 pm, 16 April 2009. If you prefer, you can make a
submission in writing to the council at Christchurch City Council, P O
Box 237, Christchurch. It is important to note that when lodging your
submission, you must indicate whether you wish to speak in its
support. Submissions will be heard by the council during the period
11-18 May 2009.]
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